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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pulse Oximetery?

A sensor is placed on a thin part of the patient's anatomy, usually a fingertip. A light containing both red and infrared wavelengths is passed from one side to the other. Changing absorbance of each of the two wavelengths is measured, allowing determination of the absorbance due to the pulsing arteria blood alone, excluding venous blood, skin, bone, muscle, fat, and (in most cases) fingernail polish. Based upon the ratio of changing absorbance of the red and infrared light caused by the difference in color between oxygen-bound (bright red) and oxygen unbound (dark red or blue, in severe cases) blood hemoglobin, a measure of oxygenation (the per cent of hemoglobin molecules bound with oxygen molecules) can be made.

What types of oximeters are there?

In the consumer market there is primarily 2. The fingertip pulse oximeter and handheld pulse oximeter.

Why would I need a pulse oximeter?

There are 3 main reasons for using a pulse oximeter.

Patients: On oxygen therapy to help mange their oxygen flow. Patients with condition such as COPD, CHF and Asthma.

Athletes: Health and Wellness. For hikers or climbers at higher altitudes and for athletes who want another fitness diagnostic

Pilots: Prevention of in-flight hypoxia

Are all oximeters equal in quality and durability?

No. The old saying still goes. "You get what you pay for". Many low priced oximeters have durability issues. They break after a drop from 2 to 3 feet to the floor. We recommend that you narrow your search to manufacturers in your home country. If you purchase a device and if anything goes wrong, it will be easier to seek warranty servicing.

Where can I purchase a pulse oximeter?

You can buy from an on-line retailer or with a durable medical equipment (DME) reseller. Because of the competitive nature of the internet, the best prices can be found on the internet. DMEs sometime will sell products a 3x MSRP.

There are several shopping sites like Amazon, Shopzilla, Google, Shopping.com.  All of the sites have many products to choose from.  The biggest complaint with these sites is the difficult in finding contact information.  All are based on a 3rd party relationship between the shopping website, you the consumer and the vendor.  Many internet consumer prefer the one on one relationship between the buyer and seller.  If any issue arise, keeping the relationship simple is a good option.

How can I find a good internet retailer?

The best advice we can give is to search on the internet and to call those that look reputable. Reputable could mean being a authorized dealer, well organized site, easy to find contact info on the website etc.

Feel free to call the on-line retailer and ask them questions about their products. A reputable retailer should be able answer any question you may have about their pulse oximeters model and features. We would also recommend that you target retailers that focus on the sale of oximeters alone. Many on-line websites sell thousands of products. Your needs to find the right product at the right price require a more specific approach to buying. Don't get trapped into a call center that is based oversees. If the Customer Service folks can't understand or answer your questions keep looking.

Do I need a prescription to get a pulse oximeter?

Depends.  Many models are FDA 510K approved Class II medical devices.  This means that in order to buy the oximeter, a doctors prescription is necessary.  Many manufactures have developed Class II and non-prescription equivalent.  The device itself is based on the same technology, they have chosen not to market it as a medical device.  Sometimes these are referred to as health and wellness oximeters.